


A Grimm Discussion

by OblivionGrey27



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Genre: Banishment Ending, Bug-Bat Family, Dancing, Exiled Brumm, F/M, Flame Imagery, Grimm troupe, Grimmchild's Mother, Interrupted Ritual, POV First Person, POV Original Character, POV Original Female Character, Possible Continuation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 05:24:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17975240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OblivionGrey27/pseuds/OblivionGrey27
Summary: When she had given her egg to her Master, she had known it would lead to his absence. However, when the ritual is interrupted, Rava struggles to console the distraught Grimm and celebrate his continued presence. Her solution doesn't really satisfy either option.





	A Grimm Discussion

[Grimm Bride Rava](http://imgur.com/a/UxWogwa)

There were few things that could make our master angry. Ever affable and polite, he always seemed unphased by the cruelty we were met with when called, the confrontations he met, and the rare complaint from one of the troupe. In fact, the only time I have ever known that he has been anything less than cordial and calm, was when the small creature who called us had swung its nail at him before their first dance truly began. In the face of the small vessel’s rudeness, the master had screeched at it, and the dance promptly began, his anger quickly disappearing into his passionate movements.

    Despite this eternally calm demeanor, he was not incapable of true fury, and like the caller interrupting his bow before their dance, the easiest way to incite such rage was to interrupt his rituals.

    My role in the troupe was a simple, short lived one. The child he had sent to gather flames, while fueled by their combined efforts, was not truly the child of its genderless companion. While its importance in the child's life far surpassed my own, the child had not come from nowhere, and it was my lonely egg that gifted the child life. With my role in the ritual complete, however, and no other purpose to serve the troupe, I found myself hovering beside the master, listening to his proud comments as his kin returned with their flames relinquished to the pair. He wasn’t speaking to me, I knew; his comments were directed to the child, whispering encouragement through dreams as the pair grew stronger.

    “The final flame.” He said with a cheerful tune I couldn't understand. He didn't keep the purpose of this ritual secret, and I couldn't help but fear for his soon to be absence. “The final flame collected, the nightmare awaits.” His voice was giddy as he turned in a flourish of his draped wings, quickly vanishing down the corridor beside the main stage to his room. Taking a deep breath, I turned my attention to the seats surrounding the stage, filled with his kin sitting idly.

    Their jobs fulfilled, they chatted amongst themselves in a quiet hum, excitement filling the room as they awaited the emergence of their new master, the child they had fed with their flames, and for a moment I felt anger at the lot. While I had no doubt the child would be strong, as good a master as his father, it always hurt. While he would more or less become the child, they were still separate entities, and I feared the thought of losing Grimm. Turning away from the stands, for the first time I noticed the absence of the music that usually filled the tent. Tilting my head, a questioning hum bubbled in my throat. Where had Brumm disappeared to?

 

My answer didn't come for some time, and not wishing to stand beside the sleeping Master as he awaited his own death, I had simply decided to sit at the edge of the stage, dreading every moment that brought me closer to his absence. At some point, I had fallen asleep, but in an instant my dreams were ripped from me as the world seemed to run cold around me, my eyes snapping open only to find the room dark. Glancing around, I saw that the kin in the stands had fallen eerily silent, and hanging in the center of the room, was what looked like a large fabric heart, seated motionless. Beneath the heart stood a familiar presence, but surrounding it was an aura that made the icy air seem colder, that death was imminent, and it made me question what my other senses were telling me stood in the center. Our new setting was not unfamiliar, but with the unnaturally dark, cold atmosphere, I couldn't recognize it.

    From the center of the furious aura, the figure within turned slowly, the only movement in the room as all else was deathly still. Even his expression, subtle as its possible changes were, felt unnatural on his features, and when I felt his gaze fall on me, all heat left my body in an instant. Luckily, his eyes quickly moved away, until he halted. Lowering his head so much of it was hidden by the ‘collar’ of his natural cloak, I could hear the grinding of his mouth parts in the otherwise silent room.

    It wasn’t until the absent figure suddenly apparated into the room, startling me, that the furious Master finally spoke. “Brumm.” His voice, always low and raspy, had somehow fallen lower, dripping with acid and spoken quietly yet echoing through the tent. Even if not directed at me, I couldn't help shaking slightly at the sheer force it carried, and while I wasn’t much smaller than him, I felt positively miniscule in his presence.

    The new arrival, who had quickly become the focus of Master’s unbridled fury, somehow stay standing, and in fact showed no sign of intimidation at this. Nodding curtly, Brumm moved slowly, the click of his feet on the floor becoming the only sound in the tent. Only when he stood just out of arm's reach of Grimm (yet far too close to avoid a quick death to our much beloved flame), did the large bug fall to his knees, bowing his head to his furious Master. Shockingly, despite the anger that radiated from him, when Master spoke it held a surprising calmness, though still drenched in far too much emotion to sound like him. “I do not wish to play games, though I doubt you would try such a thing. Explain, and I will consider mercy.”

    Heaving a deep breath, Brumm kept his head low as he spoke. “I gave the caller a choice. And the choice it made was to banish our troupe.”

    In an instant, all the missing pieces snapped together in my mind and my eyes widened at the sight before me. Despite the clear shock of all observers, the only one to make a sound was Grimm. Or perhaps he was merely too loud to hear the crowds gasp. “That is not an explanation! Why?! You dare interrupt our ritual, my child's growth, the continuation of our troupe, of my life?!”

    My heart stilled within me, and I unconsciously stepped away from the scene, though my gaze remain trapped on the two. Soberly, Brumm continued. “I meant you no ill will, Master, but I will not apologize for my actions. This ritual, this cycle…we have followed it for so long, and it traps us all. While it pains me to have had to upset you, I could not stand idly by as you chained yourself with it. I offered an option, and had it chosen to fulfill the ritual, I would have no complaints.” It was by far the most I had ever heard from him, always a bug of few words who preferred grunts and gestures to communicate, though I supposed that such a thing was difficult given his current…situation.

    And yet he wasn’t done, as he slowly raised his head to the Master, somehow angrier at this explanation, and continued. “I will not argue with any punishment you deem necessary, but understand that I did not seek to spite you, to shorten your life or harm the troupe. This ritual has left you always looking at your end, the child chained to a fate since its conception. All I wanted, was a chance to free the troupe from this cycle, to free _you_ from this cycle.” With that, he pulled a small charm from a purse on his hip, before offering it to the Master. “The child is strong. If you wish to try again, you need only find someone to feed it.”

    The room was still for a moment, before in a flash the Master had stolen Brumm’s mask from his face, holding it high before crushing it in his grip and letting the pieces burn away, before the scarlet flame engulfed his fist, though he kept it high rather than use it to strike the subject of his anger. “I will grant you mercy and not feed you to the child. Begone, I banish you from my troupe, and if I see you again in what time remains for me, I will not be so kind.” With another quick movement, the child appeared before him in a flash of black smoke, and Master turned his back to Brumm. “So I recommend you leave quickly.”

    The tense atmosphere lasted long after Brumm had left, a hushed murmur slowly spreading through the crowd only after Grimm had vanished down the hall to where he rested. Anxiously, I shifted, uncertain how I should be feeling, before I resolutely decided to follow after Grimm. Even so, my body felt heavy and my steps slow as I made my way down the hall. Had it always been this long? With shaking hands, I slowly pushed aside the fabric barrier and stepped into the room. I didn't get any reaction, and Grimm only stood, leaning against the box pressed against the wall with back turned to me, deathly still. Steeling my nerves, I stepped across the room with two long strides, before taking a position besides him, hands clasped in front of me beneath my own draped wings, and not facing him, rather letting my eyes trace the designs on the fabric wall. We stay like that for a long moment, but with a sigh I dropped my gaze to the box.

    “I don’t blame him.” I admitted with a wavering voice, turning my eyes so he wasn’t in my periphery. Like all members of the troupe, I adored the Master, and the pain this would undoubtedly cause him was too much for me to bear. When he said nothing, I continued. “While I cannot imagine defying you, I too…” Another deep, steadying breath. “I did not look forward…to losing you, Master.”

    At this, there was a loud scraping of shell on wood, as he presumably scratched marks into the surface of the box. “I would not be gone. I would become the child!” he insisted, and I dared a glance to see his shaking form, eyes locked on his own fists, digging at the box.

    Another deep breath, and I closed my eyes, tilting my head back. “Perhaps, but…tell me, Master…do you have any memories from your first life? Your second? Do you recall the kingdom your grandfather consumed to feed your father, or the face of your mother through your father's eyes?” He said nothing, and I foolishly continued. “I don’t know…how the ritual works. How you become the child, but…even if you remember all of your past lives, the troupe…cannot see you and your child as one and the same. Your mother couldn't have looked at you the same way as she did her mate, and similarly, I could hardly imagine _you_ as the child birthed from my egg.”

    A long silence passed between us, before the man besides me straightened, letting out a long breath. “It isn't about being seen as the same. The ritual prolongs our troupe when my body grows old. Even kings grow old, their bodies fail, and their kingdom falls to be taken by scavengers.”

    Slowly, I finally turned towards him, meeting his gaze for a brief second and causing him to turn his head to hold it. “Kings grow old, but do gods? The light still shows Her influence in the Wyrm’s kingdom, and His queen remains long after the kingdom’s fall! The Wyrm Himself only vanished because the trapped light exhausted Him. You need not even belief, only flame, so why…?” I paused for a moment as my voice began wavering and cracking with my own emotion. “Even your troupe members do not die, we only gather more, so why would our Master be any different?”

    I heaved a deep sigh, stepping away from him with an aching heart. “I don’t blame Brumm, but I am sorry he ruined your ritual. I only had the one egg to give you. If you truly wish to try again, I will care for the failed attempt while you find another mother.” Turning quickly, I vanished from his room, not giving him a chance to respond. I had intended to console him, comfort him, though in hindsight I didn't know how I had planned to, given my starting line. Yet I had only worked myself into a shaking mess, overwhelmed by the emotions my own words had caused. _How selfish…_ I thought with a sigh as I stepped out from the tent. Unlike the small settlement we had set up in the new kingdom, our reach in this one was far greater, and I quickly made my way to my own small tent. While I had enjoyed the new kingdom, I wouldn't be missing the small room those accompanying the Master had been forced to share.


End file.
